October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Prevention, Education, and Advocacy Center called on the Dickinson Community to wear purple on October 6^th to stand in solidarity with those that have been impacted by dating and domestic violence. Domestic Violence Awareness Month is dedicated to ending dating and domestic violence and to educating communities about available resources. Domestic Violence Awareness celebrates survivors, connects those working to end violence, and mourns the death of those that have died from dating and domestic violence. During Why I Wear Purple students wrote their reasons for wearing purple and contributed to the photo campaign.

The Prevention, Education, and Advocacy Center promotes safe spaces for survivors, friends, and significant others that have been impacted by sexual violence. The office fosters behavioral and cultural changes on campus by working together to end sexual violence. For more information about the office and resources available, please visit http://www.dickinson.edu/PEAC.

“I Wear Purple because I feel as though I have a responsibility as a woman and a feminist to make as many people aware of not only this problem but also aware of how big the problem is; domestic violence can and does happen everywhere, to anyone. It is important that we have a month dedicated to domestic violence awareness, but it is what we do with this month, and year-round, that will actually make the difference. It is important to show those who have been affected by domestic violence in any way that there are people who stand behind them, support them, and want to help them. We also want them to know that is always acceptable to ask for help, be vulnerable or feel sad or lost. It is also never too late to tell someone about abuse, no matter how long ago or how recently it happened–one should always be able to talk about it. I hope everyone who is wearing purple today is thinking about ways they can help, make others aware and help put a stop to this terrible reality. We need to make it known that violence is never okay. This work is so important to me and is absolutely necessary, and I will keep at it until domestic violence does not exist anymore.”  Carolyn Goode ’18 

Written by Rachael Moore ’18